Inflation apparatus



Marcha, 1943. 1 EEBERLEE 2,313,215

INFLATION APPARATUS Filed Oct. 20. 1941 2 sheets-sheet' 1 ATTORNEYSMardi 9, 1943. F, F, B|ERLEE INFLATION APPARATUS l Filed Oct. 20, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 2 a' @ffy/l ATTOR N EYS Patented-Mar. 9, 1943 GFFIQEINFLATION APPARATUS vFrederik F. Bierlee, Depasar, Bali, NetherlandIndia; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application October 20,1941, Serial No. 415,835

7 Claims. (Cl. 114-54) The present invention relates to improvements ininiiation apparatus particularly adapted for raising sunken vessels andthe like.

An object of the invention is to provide inflation apparatus ofgenerally improved design.

Another object of the invention is the provision of ination apparatuswhich can be electrically controlled from remote positions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ination apparatuswhich is co-mpact in construction and reliable in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe descrip-tion progresses.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate corresponding partsthroughout Figure l is a side elevational View showing the improvedapparatus applied to the raising of a sunken vessel,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through an inflation unit,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section through a gear casing of theinflation unit,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 4 4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections ofthe apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred example of the invention, I generally designates aniniiation unit embodying an elongated cylindrical body housing or shellI closed at the ends by heads l I and I2. As shown at Figure 1 thishousing structure is usually supported in approximately verticalposition when attached to a sunken vessel.

Within the housing I is mounted a vertically supported gear `casing I3having a depending boss I4 to which is connected an electric motor I5having a drive shaft I projecting upwardly therefrom and connected, by acoupling I1, with an upstanding extension shaft I8. This shaft I8projects into the gear casing I3 and carries at its upper end a worm I9supported to mesh with a worin wheel 2U journaled transversely in theupper portion of the casing and formed on a hub portion thereof with aspur pinion 2l disposed to mesh with a spur gear 22 supported on a shaft23 journaled in the lower portion of the casing. On an extension huby ofthe gear 22 is formed a spur pinion 24 arranged to mesh with arelatively large spur gear 25. This latter gear is formed at one sidewith a relatively short hub extension 26 journaled in a bearing at oneside of the casing and, at its opposite side, with a relatively long hubsection 21 rotatably fitted in a socket in the hub of the gear 20, thelatter having a stub shaft 28 at the outer side of the hub journaled ina bearing of the casing. Formed axially in the hub sections 25 and 21 ofthe gear 25 is a non-circular bore 25 designed to slidably accommodatetherein the square shank 30 of a stem 3i disposed Atransversely of thecasing and formed with a relatively large collar 32. The opposite end ofthe stem 3| is formed to provide a screw threaded portion 33 having aconical outer end 34 for a purpose which will be hereinafter described.

The collar 32 engages the opposed jaws of a yoke formed at one end of arocker arm 36 supported on a horizontal pivot 3-1. On the opposed end ofthis arm is provided an arcuate contact member S8 arranged to slidinglycontact with three :fixed contact bars 3S, 4l) and 4! fastened in avertical plane and radially of the pivot 31 on an insulative arm 42secured to an upstanding bracket 43 bolted or otherwise' fastened onthegear casing.

Mounted in the lower portion of the housing I0 in longitudinallyextending position is an elongated tanl: 44 having lattached to theupper reduce-d neck portion an outlet conduit 45 projecting through asealed opening in the tophead I I and connecting, outwardly of thehousing, with a flexible tubular conduit 45. The intermediate portion ofthe conduit 45 is formed to provide a tortuous passage 41 shaped toafford therein a valve seat designed to assume valvular relation withthe conical end 34 of the stem 3l for con' trolling the passage of fluidthrough the outlet conduit 45.

At longitudinally spaced intervals along the supply chamber 44 and theoutlet conduit 45 are mounted a series of connected heating elementssuch as the resistance coils 43 designed so that those about the outletconduit would have greater heating capacity. rlhe upper terminal of thisgroup of coils is connected, through the medium of a wire 49, with theend fixed switch contact 40 while the bottom terminal of the group isconnected, through the medium of a conductor Bil, with one terminal ofan automatic regulating member such as the thermostat '5i which is, inturn, connected with a terminal of the electric motor I5 by a wire 52.The complementary terminal of the motor I5 is connected with the fixedcontact member 4I through the medium lof a conductor 53 while the centercontact member 4B is connected with one side 5:4 of a main electriccircuit. The opposite side wire of this main circuit, indicated at 55,connects with the conductor 52 as shown at Figure 2. The main cir-cuitwires 54 and 55 are preferably covered by tubing or other suitableinsulating covering and extend for connection with a master controlswitch C designed to be mounted at a position remote from the inflationapparatus, as for example on a surface salvage vessel S, in circuit witha source of electrical current such as the generator G and a currentindicator as the ammeter A.

The conducting tube 4B coupled to the projecting end of the outletconduit 45 makes communicative connection with a buoyant body which maybe in the form of a rigid tank but in the present instance comprises afiexible or collapsible bag 56 of fabric or the like which attains anapproximately spherical form when infiated. This bag is firmly attachedto the housing of the inflating apparatus through the medium of aplurality of straps 56' which envelop the bag and connect with an eye 51at the top of the housing. The housing I is attached to a submerged orsunken body by means of a cable 58 suitably fastened to the body and toan eye 59 at the bottom of the housing.

In use, one or more of the inating and buoyant body units is attached tothe submerged body to be raised as for example a submarine or a vessel,and is lowered from a salvage vessel S on the surface of the body ofwater. The number of ination units employed will, of course, bedependent upon the flotation capacity thereof and the size of the vesselto be raised. When the units are properly fastened the master switch 55on the surface vessel is closed to energize the circuit and initiallyoperate the motor I5 which drives the reduction gearing and functions toopen the control valve in the outlet conduit 45, unseating the conicalend 34 of the valve stem from its seat in the passage 4l. When the valveis fully opened the collar 34 acts to swing the switch arm 36 so thatthe arcuate contact element 38, which initially bridges the fixedcontact strips di! and 4l to close the motor circuit, now moves out ofcontact with the fixed strip 4I and bridges the center contact 40 withthe end ccntact 39 to close the heating -circuit and energizes the coils48 to heat the chamber and the outlet conduit. This heating actionserves to heat a condensed inflating fluid in the tank 44, as forinstance liquefied carbon dioxide which, upon heating, is converted togas and passes into the bag 56, the supply tank containing a charge ofcondensed fluid sufficient to fully inflate the bag. As the bag or bagsbecome inflated the sunken Vessel to which they are attached is raisedto or adjacent the surface of the water through the medium of theascensional force of the flotation bodies.

As will be apparent, this invention affords a relatively compact easilyhandled apparatus for raising sunken vessels and the like and enablesaccurate control from a station remote from the inflating mechanism.

It is to be understood that Vention herewith shown and taken as apreferred example that various changes relative to the material, size,shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In apparatus for inating buoyant bodies, an infiation fiuidcontaining chamber having a the form of my indescribed is to be of thesame and valve controlled outlet, an inflatable body con-v nected to theoutlet, means for heating the said chamber and outlet, and means forsuccessively opening the valve and rendering the heating meansoperative.

2. In apparatus for infiating buoyant bodies, a supply chamber adaptedto contain a buoyancy fluid, an outlet connecting the said chamber witha fiuid receiver, a valve mounted in the outlet for controlling thepassage of fluid from the chamber, means for heating the uid in thechamber and outlet, and mechanism for successively opening the controlvalve and rendering the heating means operative to inflate the saidreceiver.

3. In inflation apparatus of the character described, a chamber adaptedto contain condensed inflating fluid, a passage connecting the saidchamber with an inflatable bag, a valve in the said passage forcontrolling the discharge of fluid from the chamber, electric elementsfor heating the fluid mounted on the chamber and passage, electricallydriven mechanism for operating the valve, and a switch controlledelectric circuit for opening the valve and energizing the said heatingelements.

4. In inflation apparatus of the character described, a chamber adaptedto contain condensed infiating fluid, a passage connecting the saidchamber with an inflatable bag, a valve in the said passage forcontrolling the discharge of fluid from the chamber, electric elementsfor heating the fluid mounted on the chamber and passage, a train ofgears for operating the valve, an electric motor for actuating the saidgears, and an electric circuit connected with a manually operableswitch, the motor and the heating elements for opening the valve andenergizing the heating elements.

5. In inflation apparatus of the character described, a chamber adaptedto contain condensed inating fluid, a passage connecting the Saidchamber with an inflatable bag, a valve in the said passage forcontrolling the discharge of fluid from the chamber, electric elementsfor heating the iiuid mounted on the chamber and passage, a train ofgears for operating the valve, an electric motor for actuating the saidgears, an automatic switch operable by said valve operating mechanismvelectrically connected with the motor and the heating elements, and anelectric circuit connected with the said 4automatic switch, motor andheating elements for successively opening the valve and energizing theheating elements to inflate the bag.

6. In inflation apparatus of the character described, a housing, a tankmounted in the housing adapted to contain a charge of' condensedinflating fluid, a conduit connected to the said tank projecting throughthe housing, an infiatable bag connected to the outer end of the conduitto receive the fluid from the tank, a valve in the conduit forcontrolling the discharge of fluid from the tank, and means mounted inassociation with the tank and conduit for heating the fluid there- 1n.

'7. In inflation apparatus of the character described, a housing, a tankmounted in the housing adapted to contain a charge of condensedinflating fluid, a conduit connected to the said tank projecting throughthe housing, an infiatable bag connected to the out-er end of theconduit to receive the fluid from the tank, a valve in the conduit forcontrolling the discharge of fluid from the tank, means mounted inassociation with the tank and conduit for heating the fiuid therein, andelectrically controlled mechanism for opening the said valve.

FREDERIK F. BIERLEE,

